Big Book Deals For Politicians!

If, for some reason, you were ever under the illusion that politics is a thankless job, you might consider the steady deluge of six and seven figure book deals being landed by those who have walked our nation's corridors of power. Indeed, it seems that one guaranteed perk of political service (or even a momentary brush with it) is the promise of a hefty advance to tell all--or selective bits, anyway-- of what it was like behind the scenes.

Here then is a partial roundup of the political memoirs that will soon be heading to a bookstore (or online retailer) near you.

David Plouffe, the guy who, along with David Axelrod, masterminded Barack Obama's brilliantly run campaign, will pen, The Audacity to Win: The Insider's Story and Lessons of Barck Obama's Historic Victory. Published by Viking, the advance is said to be at least 1.5 to 2 million bucks.

Sarah Palin may have lost in her bid to become the nation's vice president, but she scored big time in the book world. Her as-yet-unwritten political yarn is said to be fetching a cool $7 million. That beats the hell out of the $200K that vice presidents take home each year. Palin's book will focus on the sometimes rocky 7 weeks she spent on the campaign trail. If my calculator is correct, that means each week as John McCain's running mate earned brought her one million dollars.

Condi Rice has not one, not two, but three book deals in the works, one of which will look back on her time in the Bush Administration. Represented by the William Morris Agency, Rice has also hired Washington lawyer Robert Barnett, who played a role in getting both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton their own book deals.

Following in the time honored tradition of cashing in on proximity to power, Scribner has agreed to pay former First Lady Laura Bush $8 million for a touchy-feely, and, of course "candid" look behind the White House velvet ropes. If you were wondering, Hillary Clinton also got that same mountain of cash for her First Lady look back.

Also in the mold of Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Edwards will touch on her husband's infidelity in her forthcoming page-turner, "Resilience" (Broadway Books). This is the follow-up to her well-reviewed first memoir, "Saving Graces." Whether it be cancer or a cheating husband, the central theme remains "coping with adversity." It hits shelves on May 12.

Republican political strategist "Joe the Plumber" (A.K.A. Samuel J. Wurzelbacher) made sure his 15-minutes of fame kept on ticking by signing up to do a book with PearlGate publishers. Titled "Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream," much of the book's heavy lifting is no doubt expected from spiritualist co-writer Thomas N. Thabback.

Of course, these books are hugely popular, otherwise they wouldn't garner such large advances. Non-fiction publishers crave first-hand accounts and expertise. On that score, it's no wonder that the powerful (their ghost-writers in tow) find that lucrative deals await them.